All Rise...

Editor's Note

The Charge

There is nothing in the dark that isn't there in the light. Except fear.

Opening Statement

"Every man has to go through hell to reach paradise."

Facts of the Case

The violent, mentally disturbed, heavily tattooed Max Cady (Robert De Niro,
Taxi Driver) has just been released
from prison, and he's got vengeance on his mind. His target: former public
defender Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte, Tropic Thunder), who refused to use
a key piece of evidence to defend Cady some fourteen years ago. Sam is
understandably concerned about the safety of his wife Leigh (Jessica Lange, Titus) and daughter Danielle (Juliette
Lewis, Natural Born Killers), so he
attempts to take measures to protect his family and get his stalker back behind
bars. Unfortunately, Cady's as intelligent as he is dangerous, and getting rid
of him proves to be an extremely difficult task. Who will win this
ever-escalating conflict?

The Evidence

Remakes are being churned out at such a rapid rate these days that
complaining about the trend seems a bit fruitless at this point. We all know
that remakes and sequels are regarded as safer bets than original stories, and
we all know that the majority of remakes tend to fall short of whatever standard
may have been set by the original. Still, every now and then we'll get something
that manages to transcend its inspirations: Cronenberg's The Fly, The Coens' True Grit or Carpenter's The Thing, for instance. However, the
film that first springs to mind whenever I think of remakes which are actually
better than the originals is Martin Scorsese's Cape Fear, which improves
upon the entertaining 1962 version in almost every way.

J. Lee Thompson's original Cape Fear was a simple thriller with a
simple premise: a bad man oppresses a good man's family. The film was
black-and-white in more ways than one, with reliable pros Gregory Peck and
Robert Mitchum respectively embodying forces of good and evil. Scorsese's
version dispenses with all that simplicity very quickly, giving Cady a warped
sense of righteous vengeance and transforming Sam Bowden into a deeply flawed
character who brings most of his problems upon himself. This time, the tale is
in lush, pulsating color (featuring striking bursts of red that distinctly
recall Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie, another thriller that
often grew fixated with its psychological elements).

Cape Fear was initially intended as a pretty straightforward
commercial thriller (Steven Spielberg was actually attached to direct at one
point), but you sense Scorsese vigorously shaking the mundane conventions and
blandly palatable elements out of it. His direction is classical yet feverish,
and Elmer Bernstein's re-working of Bernard Herrmann's score turns moody
intonations into violent bursts. There's also a sense of desperation to the way
in which the film flings so many unusual ideas (Cady seems to have adopted
Robert E. Lee and Captain Marvel as personal heroes), visual gimmicks (those
creepy x-ray eyeball shots) and unexpected nuances (Danielle encounters Cady and
develops a crush on him) at us, but everything gels satisfyingly in retrospect.
By all accounts, the filmmaking process was a stressful and challenging one for
the director, but the end result is a terrific piece of filmmaking which
foreshadows his similarly excellent work nearly two decades later on Shutter Island.

Those who need a reminder of De Niro's capability to be an electrifying
screen presence might consider giving this one a watch (or re-watch), as the
actor's terrifically creepifying turn as Max Cady remains hypnotizing. Crowing
his lines in a dirty southern accent and glowering like a man about to burn down
the mental institution, De Niro makes Cady an effectively savage monster. Even
so, the character is quick to remind us of the fractured logic of his cause: he
wasn't given proper legal representation simply because Sam didn't like him, and
his life was destroyed as a result (never mind the fact that Cady was guilty;
the law is the law). Why should Sam be surprised when Cady is trying to destroy
his life for the same reason?

Scorsese initially wanted Harrison Ford for the role of Sam, but Nolte is
probably a better fit. The actor is effortlessly able to sell his barely
contained rage and his willingness to wander down a slippery slope of
increasingly unethical territory. Lange transforms a potentially disposable role
into something riveting as the wife who has had just about enough of her
husband's antics, while Lewis excels in a spectacularly icky scene of
improvisation with De Niro midway through the film. Joe Don Baker is in top form
as the cheerfully grubby private eye Sam hires, while Gregory Peck and Robert
Mitchum make strong impressions in brief supporting roles (Mitchum kills his
bemused final line: "Well pardon me all over the place.").

Cape Fear (Blu-ray) sails onto hi-def sporting a surprisingly
terrific 1080p/2.35:1 transfer (Scorsese's first use of the 2.35:1 format, in
fact). Scorsese's use of color is consistently fascinating, and the imagery
really pops on this new disc. The level of detail is superb throughout, and you
can see every little line of De Niro's tattoos (another Mitchum gem: "I
don't know whether to look at him or read him.") and every crease in
Nolte's worried face (admittedly, there are about 3000 fewer of these than his
face contains these days). Blacks are rich and inky, shadow delineation is
impressive (the chaotic nighttime action sequence at the end is thrillingly
coherent in hi-def) and flesh tones are natural. There's a light layer of
natural grain present throughout. The DTS HD 5.1 Master Audio track is also
excellent, and I have to admit that I'm amazed how fantastic Bernstein's score
sounds. The soundtrack CD is kind of disappointing, as the music sounds distant
and somewhat poorly recorded. However, the film mix is vigorous and
room-rattling. The busier material is pretty immersive and the final twenty
minutes pack quite a punch. Supplements are ported over from the previous 2-disc
DVD: an 80-minute documentary on the making of the film, some deleted scenes, a
very brief "Behind the Scenes of the Fourth of July Parade"
featurette, a photograph montage, a matte paintings montage, a handful of Saul
Bass opening credits for others films and a trailer. Exclusive to this version,
you get BD-Live, My Scenes and Pocket Blu.

Closing Statement

Cape Fear is often unfairly dismissed as lesser Scorsese; it was
branded as such by many upon its release due to the fact that it was the
director's follow-up to his great Goodfellas. This is a
terrific thriller boasting some magnificent acting and directed with a stylish
sense of appreciation for cinema history. The Blu-ray looks and sounds
excellent, too.